All You Wanna Do Is...

[MarkF]

...Talk, Talk

I'm quite possibly prejudiced through the prism of age but the snippet edition "Talk At The BBC" that was just on was completely fascinating and the link above points to a wonderful box of verbal treats.

I really wish the Beeb would make more of this stuff available / deliver it to the schedules in place of the mindless repetition of "Cash In The Attic", "Bargain Hunt", "Homes Under The Blimmin' Hammer" et al ad nauseum.

They are online apparently so you might get lucky and be able to see this Brian Clough interview which is, as they say, a hoot.

I've had a quick scoot through trying to see if there was a more substantive edition of the Gilbert Harding "Face-To-Face" interview but no joy yet. The snippet where the interviewer had him in tears is still gripping even now.

Anyone else watching / enjoying these?

[ian.64]

All You Wanna Do Is...

Saw this on iPlayer last night (will get back to the final 10 minutes soon), and enjoyed it. It's a patchwork-quilt kind of programme, you can tell, but some of this stuff is very watchable in a 'grab-bag' way. If it was a book you'd dip into it.

Good stuff.

[Benjm]

All You Wanna Do Is...

Richard Harris came across as an awful self-regarding git in his bits. The swashbuckling hellraiser mythology is best sustained by considerable distance.

But, as you say, great to have an opportunity to see this material again.

[MarkF]

All You Wanna Do Is...

I was forlornly wondering if I had birthed a nil thread for a minute... heh

I like the snapshot style most of the time, I find more people than I care for cannot sustain a lengthy interview. Although as a person and in general I find Parkinson quite awful, I have to give credit for his earlier interviews, he wasn't shy of asking "searching" questions. The later ones on ITV seemed obsequious IMO.

There are three of these "TATBBC" episodes I gather, looking forward to the next ones very much.

I agree about Richard Harris too but he did have a twinkle in his eye as he was going through it, so that helped a bit. The other two (apart from Gilbert H) that struck me were Sammy Davis Jr. who was quite different than I would have expected, very open and honest. And also Marianne Faithfull. A hippy chick for sure but really eloquent when you pick out the gist of what she was saying. I may be being slightly unfair as I am comparing a "proper" interviewer speaking to her rather than the vox pops style interviews you get today. Maybe if todays pop kids were seriously interviewed, they'd come over slightly more intelligent.

Glad you're enjoying them.

[ian.64]

All You Wanna Do Is...

Seen the latest edition and it's cracking stuff. I look at the clips on show and come to the conclusion that it works because it takes the clips out of context and puts them into a lively mosaic that compels. Taking them out of context is actually what makes it work.

Some of it is just marvellous. Bette Davis is as cool as fuck while Joan Crawford's style comes of as creepily fake. Jakob Bronowski's moments of lucid, rational calmness are devastating while Orson Welles is showmanship personified. Muhammad Ali is magnetic.

I'm doing a disservice by not really summing up how entertaining it is, but it is.

It's worth your time.

[MarkF]

All You Wanna Do Is...

Just to give a spot more balance on Parkinson, I couldn't agree more about Jacob Bronowski and what struck me while listening to him was how Parkinson just let him talk, never felt compelled, as appears to be the wont today, to talk over a silence. Gripping and really very moving.

Also, it's striking the difference in the interviewees. It seems they felt obliged to give a straight answer to questions. No spin. When Parkinson asked John Wayne about his political stuff you could see he really wanted to tell Parkinson to fuck off or lamp him but he gave a reasonably honest answer.

Apart from the more serious news / political type interviewers of today (I'm thinking of the Stephen Sackurs of this world, but he's a bit combative at times when he doesn't need to be) who could fill this type of interviewers role today? You know, the other end of the Graham Norton / Jonathan Ross spectrum. Definitely a gap there methinks.

[Sits]

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MarkF wrote:

You know, the other end of the Graham Norton / Jonathan Ross spectrum.

How dare you forget Alan Carr, Chatty Man?

[Gerontophile]

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This is apropos of sod all, but I saw an interview by Mark Lawson, on Noel Gallagher, which I though was riveting. I normally have TV on in the background, but I stopped doing what I normally do (Bejewelled 3, fact fans), and was entirely engrossed.

Good stuff, done well, with no audience. #If you're gonna do it, do it right#

[MarkF]

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Oh, excellent call, sir. I always forget about ML, he's definitely got the skills to cover most aspects to make for an interesting interview, even with Noel G.

And Allan Carr?, um, no. Just... no.

[ian.64]

All You Wanna Do Is...

Unless I was mistaken, back in the old 3-channel days, although you did have the film stars and celebs hogging the chat shows, the fact that they had a film to promote or some such gubbins took second place to a chat about life and experiences. The entertainment value always avoided the 'new film/series/book' turn that seems to be the usual process nowadays and just focussed on the star, and the star duly complied with a few stories, jokes or whatever, bringing just himself or herself to the table instead of yapping on about what they were flogging that week.

Michael Aspel - who was hugely impressive in his own show at just holding himself back and only interjecting at certain times, letting the star be as open and accessible as possible - gave up the chat game when letting his programme be one long advert for Planet Hollywood, hosting Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis in one prolonged smug all-guys-together shitfest which left him demoralised and eager to walk away from what chat shows were becoming, and have become.

I'd like to see a chat show where flogging something isn't the reason anyone appears on it.